Detroit-area mayor seeks citywide ban on personal flamethrowers due to safety concerns

Fox News ^ | August 19, 2015 | Associated Press

[jmcenanly]

DETROIT – A suburban Detroit official is trying to extinguish the use of personal flamethrowers, which are being sold online by two Midwest companies, in his city.

The companies, located in the Detroit area and Cleveland, claim their devices can be used for recreation or to control weeds and insect hives, clear snow and ice, clear brush and start a bonfire.

Warren Mayor Jim Fouts calls the proposed uses "pretty specious" and "silly," the Detroit Free Press reported. Fouts wants to ban the storage, use and possession of flamethrowers in Warren because he believes the devices are dangerous and could damage property and cause house fires, injury or death.

"You know something like this will be used by bad people for bad things," Fouts said, adding that he thought it was "unthinkable" such a device would be sold to the general public.

[JimRed]

The mayor fears that they might be used as personal defense weapons.

[Marko413]

Well that’s not a headline I was expecting to see today!

[Jeff Chandler]

Harbor Freight should be selling knockoffs in the $30-$40 range in a couple months.

Yeah, but you just know the trigger will fail or the sites will fall off after a couple uses.

[Jeff Chandler]

Hey, one never knows when they may have to defend themselves against giant ants.

Oh jeez, not them again.

[ken in texas]

Or dissolve some styrofoam in the gas. ;-)

[Carthego delenda est]

They work great for heating up branding irons.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Shoot the anten-eeee!

[Salgak]

I like the idea of the "X15" personal flamethrower. Even sells a jelling agent for that true flamethrower experience. . . (evil grin)

[doorgunner69]

The mayor fears that they might be used as personal defense weapons.

Sounds like just the ticket when encountering one of those mobs that storm your car at an intersection......as long as you can get it into action quickly enough.

[Jeff Chandler]

Make me a sergeant and give me the booze . . .

[wally_bert]

Sounds like a plot of a Bert I Gordon 50s movie.

[wally_bert]

That one I’ve heard of.

[I want the USA back]

As always, they never see the real problem: individuals whose “value system” allows them to use a flamethrower against people, animals or property.
Their first reaction is to ban things. They should ban liberal policies that created the street savages with no value system.

[Red Badger]

"You know something like this will be used by bad people for bad things," Fouts said, adding that he thought it was "unthinkable" such a device would be sold to the general public.

Better outlaw cars, trucks, aircraft, knives, baseball bats, sticks and rocks, then...........................................

[Red Badger]

Heck I’ve seen them on the back of tractors spraying weeds in the fields............This mayor is a looney bird.................

[Red Badger]

Try styrofoam.........................much cheaper than TIDE...........................

[dfwgator]

Hank Scorpio will not be pleased.

[300winmag]

Yes, but you can’t buy napalm and agent orange at the ranch store...

The nice thing about the Detroit flamethrower is that it uses E85 gas, available almost everywhere. Finally, a practical use for E85.

The only downside I see is that the fuel can soak in, but it won't adhere. Someone will have to invent a thickening agent, like is used in napalm, to help it stick. It could be sold in stores right next to the other automotive gas additives.

[Gamecock]

[WayneS]

The company’s web-site recommends using a 70% gasoline / 30% diesel fuel mixture. While not exactly “sticky”, it will provide a longer residual burn time than 100% gasoline.